THURSDAY October 01, 2026 “What if Resurrection?” (1 Cor. 15:20-22)

Good morning my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends on this first day of October,

Are you one of those people who enjoys turning over the calendar page to a new month? Does it feel like a fresh start? Is it exhilarating or frightening to you?

A few years ago, the only child my wife and I were ever blessed by God to have, was born on September 30. I remember waking up October 1st and everything was different; I was now Dad with a baby girl! I was frightened at the thought of all the responsibility I had. Today she’s a remarkable woman who loves Jesus, loves her husband and her five daughters! She has accomplished remarkable things in her life and is building an amazing legacy she will pass to those five wonderful, amazing girls. My wife and I have had the privilege of watching it happen, even from a distance.

In our parenting journey, just like in yours, my wife and I have often been faced with the challenge of helping our daughter discern truth from false. We have watched with great interest to see how she has taught her girls, our granddaughters, the same essential life skill… discerning truth from false. In many ways our lives hinge on that ability, do you agree? So, how are you teaching your family to discern false from truth?

Let’s join the apostle Paul again as he’s writing about this very important issue. Paul is writing in the mid first century to a small group of Christians in the big city of Corinth, Greece. Corinth was a wild city, filled with many religions and temples for a wide variety of religious activities. But Corinth also had many, many people who had no time or interest in any god or religion. The few Christians in Corinth were often laughed at, mocked, and even persecuted, especially if they talked about their Savior Jesus Christ and His resurrection! 

That claim of resurrection from the dead was deemed preposterous by almost everyone who heard it. And because none of these Corinthian Christians had ever SEEN the resurrected Jesus, some were beginning to waver in their faith under the pressure. 

So, Paul dedicated his entire 15th chapter of his first letter to this issue. Yesterday we considered how horrific our world would be if the resurrection of Jesus was only a myth. Today let’s look closely at what Paul wrote next, let’s consider what is ours IF the resurrection of Jesus IS TRUE?! “Jesus Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Cor. 15:20) Oh my dear friends this is an extremely important statement, do you know why? Because YOU and I and EVERY person is in this statement… do you see us?

Paul is making the definitive declaration upon which Christianity is built... “Jesus Christ has indeed been raised from the dead…” Paul began this 15th chapter declaring this truth as foundational, fundamental to the Christian faith AND to the veracity of the Scriptures; the assurance of our Salvation; the root of our faith in God; the basis for our hope of eternal life in heaven; and the only reason life here on earth is survivable with hope! WOW, that’s quite a statement, isn’t it?! You may want to pause and re-read that slowly! 

The second part of that statement from Paul is also hugely significant, and this is where I see you and all humanity in Paul’s words, do you see us here: “Jesus Christ is…the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” Every human being who has ever been conceived and whose heart has started to beat in the womb, will eventually die. That’s an important truth we all must face.

But this verse promises that also every human being will be raised from the dead, just as Jesus was! Did you know that? That word “first fruits” as applied to us human beings who “fall asleep” [die] means we will all experience resurrection just as Jesus did, all of us! The entire human race of all time! Now pause and ponder that. 

This is one of those ‘line in the sand’ moments in the Bible. Paul painted the dark and dismal picture of the implications of NO Resurrection of Jesus or any dead person in 1 Corinthians 15:12-19. Now, with verse 20, Paul is beginning to paint the opposite, glorious, wonderful picture of God’s TRUTH which, we will experience because the resurrection of Jesus is true! 

Paul continues in verse 21 and let’s look closely: “For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:21,22)

There it is my friends, in one, powerful proclamation: EVERY human being will die. Why? Because we are all descendants of the first human Adam, and when he rejected God and sinned in the Garden of Eden, suddenly Adam began to grow old and Adam received a sinful human nature, as consequences for his rejection of God. BOTH those things… the aging process toward death AND a sinful nature, are BOTH inherited by every baby conceived in the human race since that day! Pause and ponder that reality. It’s you and me, and everyone we know, my friends! 

But rejoice, celebrate, shout for joy… do you see Paul also declared that those terrible things, aging/death and sin nature, have been confronted by the resurrection of Jesus Christ?  “…as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” means EVERY person WILL experience death because we are descendants of Adam. But it also means: every single person of all time, WILL be resurrected, because Jesus defeated death in His resurrection! While our human bodies age and die, our souls and spirits are immortal and continue to live after our bodies die. And because Jesus defeated death and received a resurrected, immortal, glorified, heavenly body, so will EVERY human being. Why? So, we can live forever, either with God or apart from God, depending on what we do with Jesus! 

Oh my, does that send a shiver up your spine? The truth is, for Christians that is a shiver of excitement anticipating heaven. For those who reject Jesus and mock His resurrection that shiver is terror, anticipating eternity apart from Jesus in a place called hell! 

Oh, my friends, once again it’s very important we do not RUSH past this monumental TRUTH God presents to us. You might even want to go back and re-watch, re-listen, re-read this entire edition of “WWJ”, because the truths here have such HUGE implications for you and me and our families, and every human being. 

The “lessons learned” study notes below will be VERY helpful for further understanding. They might be notes you want to print or forward to friends who doubt this truth. Yes, I have found a wonderful worship song that celebrates what Paul was declaring… the truth and importance of Jesus’ resurrection! And I’ll be here tomorrow ready to continue with you, for Paul has much more in 1 Corinthians 15 for us.